Death's Messenger
by LinzRW
Summary: Welcome to the Underworld. By day humans rule, but by night the supernaturals come out to play. Duncan, a cold, heartless vampire, and Rae, a human who survive a demon bite, work for the Underworld's police by killing supernaturals who break the law.
1. Never Go Grocery Shopping With A Vampire

**Chapter One: Never Go Grocery Shopping With A Vampire**

**Rae**

Have you ever gone grcery shopping with a vampire? Because if you haven't – don't. If you have, you'll know exactly what I mean when I say: It is hell!

Firstly, everyone stares.

All vampires are gorgeous (it's a rule of thumb) so naturally, every head in the store turns to stare. All the guys who want to be like him and all the girls who just want him and so on and so forth. And, after accessing that he is, indeed, perfect eye candy, they all turn to stare at you. Why? Because, when the vampire makes it clear that he is with someone, all eyes must immediately assess his companion, to see if she is worthy of his tastes.

Well, Duncan Nix is hot. I'm not denying it. But trust me when I say There Is Nothing Between Us. No attractions, no sexual impulses. We're just work partners. Maybe even on the border line of friends. But definitely not dating. We only live together because of the whole job thing. That's it.

Anyways, after each girl has assessed the vampire's partner and decided that she is way below his league, the fan girl decides its time to take matters into her own hands. She sidles up to the vampire and begins the dull (and vomit inducing) process of flirting. Of course, the vampire almost always pushes her away and continues shopping.

This is exactly what Duncan did.

Now, the girl glares at the vampire's shopping partner for having humiliated her and plans vengeance.

Duncan was walking in front of the cart, looking aloof and unconcerned by the fact that almost all the girls in the store were glaring at me as though I were some demon from hell itself.

I sighed and hung my hands of the cart. I had to put up with this every time we went anywhere together. It was enough to kill me. If Duncan had just been walking in front of the cart, I would have been fine, because then it could seem like we aren't related to one another in any way. But by resting two of his fingers on the cart, Duncan made it quite clear we are together. As a group. Shopping. And everyone just naturally assume we were _together_. Which we are most definitely not.

As we were picking out canned soup (one of my favorite foods) a girl approached Duncan, batting her eyes lids. "Hi, I'm Georgina. Do you know where I can find some Godiva chocolate?"

"Nope." As always Duncan was straight and blunt. 'Nope, don't know, leave me alone'. Of course, the girls didn't always listen…

"Oh. New in town?"

"No."

"You know, I know where some good candy is…"

"I don't like candy."

"Oh."

Now Duncan was on a roll and he wouldn't stop until Georgina was gone. "And if you're looking for a different kind of candy, I suggest you look somewhere else, because someone like me can easily get someone like you – and in better quality."

The angry and hurt look on Georgina's face was priceless. Of course she then turned that rage on me and stalk off aiming a ferocious kick at me. I side stepped it easily and continued down the isle muttering, "Why hurt the innocent bystander?"

"Because you're such an easy target, Rae," Duncan said cheerfully.

I stuck my tongue out at him and dropped some more canned soup into the shopping cart.

The second reason why no sane person would go shopping with a vampire was because he is absolutely no help at all. Vampires don't have to eat human food. All they need is blood to survive. So, unless they are trying to fool someone, vampires don't even touch food. And Duncan, who is the world's proudest vampire, would never stoop to such a low level to even _know_ what human food is.

So, as we were walking along in the store (the toiletries department), Duncan was grumbling about how he hated public places and how he wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. Finally, I pointed out that the more we bought now the longer time it was until we had to come back.

Duncan glared at me then grabbed a huge pack of toilet paper (about forty rolls) and dropped it into the cart.

"There," he said. "That pack is enough food to last you two weeks. Let's go."

A couple standing next to us glanced nervously in his direction. Obviously, being a vampire, Duncan did not know that toilet paper was not food. I gently explained this to him…

"You idiot!" I whacked him over the head. "Stop trying to be funny! I know you want to visit you cousin in the mental home, but trying to get sent there yourself is not solution!"

Duncan glared at me and put the toilet paper back on the top shelf. He glared at me and stalked away to find something that big that _was_ food.

Thirdly, you should never go shopping with vampires because they're stubborn and proud. If you insult them once, they won't help you at all until you apologize profusely on your hands and knees. And even then, they still might ignore you.

And poor me, whose pride would never allow her to apologize to anyone, was screwed.

I am short, you see. I'm 4"11 and can't even reach the second to top shelves in the grocery store. It's kind of pathetic. So, when my favorite box of cereal happened to be on the top shelf, I was in deep trouble.

"Duncan, you don't think you could get that box of Honeycomb, could you?" I asked.

"I _could_, but I won't." Duncan said vaguely.

I glowered and took a huge chunk out of my ego by saying 'please'.

"Make me."

"Shut up or I'll kick your ass."

"You're drawing attention."

I wasn't, but Duncan knew how much that annoyed me, so I shut up. Instead I kicked him in the butt and walked past maturely. He rolled his eyes but didn't retaliate.

Instead, I walked up to a random stranger (who happened to be a guy of 6" somethingish) and asked him if he could please get that box of Honeycomb down for me, because my friend over there was an asshole. The guy obliged and I was smiling now, because I had my massive box of Honeycomb in front of me.

_Plop._

I glared at the second box of Honeycomb that Duncan had placed in the cart. They were both massive (USA jumbo size!) and took up about a third of the cart on their own.

I smiled sweetly up at Duncan and said, "I'm sorry but a _nice_ young man already go me a box. It's there you see." I pointed it out to him as though he could miss a jumbo sized box of Honeycomb.

"I know – this way it'll b longer before we have to comb to the store."

I glared at him.

The last reason why you can never, ever take a vampire grocery shopping is because they can't take teasing. Not at all. If you say one thing in mockery of them, they have to throw it back at you, full force. And trust me, vampires are good at that.

We (or should I say I) were placing the food on the conveyer belt to bring it up to the cash register. I had asked Duncan to help several times, but he said I was doing pretty well on my own. Jackass.

The cashier was a woman in her mid twenties with dye-blond hair and too many piercings to count. She smiled indulgently at Duncan and ignored me. I sighed and shoved in front of Duncan.

"I'll be paying here, miss!" I said in a thick Southern drawl. I was actually from New York, but the fake accent threw people off.

"And who are you?"

"Missus Emily Taylor…his _wife_."

The cashier glared at me and began checking up items. I turned to Duncan and said, "Honey, can you please pack away the items in bags? I know you hate work and all but…"

"Do it yourself."

I let out a burst of fake laughter. "I know your kidding, Honey, but just in case…if you don't help me with these bags you won't be getting _anything_ tonight."

Even Duncan, with all his anti-human antics, knew what I meant. He glared at me for a second, and then his expression changed…to his seductive one. I had pushed him over the edge. He hated it when I said embarrassing things about a not true relationship between him and me in public. He smiled and leaned forward, his face near mine. "What were you saying, _dear_?"

"Uh…nothing…" I had lost the accent. All I could see was Duncan Nix's super, ultra, gorgeous face. Now, even though there is NOTHING between us, my heart beat sped up and my eyes widened.

"That's not what I heard."

Mental: "AAAAAAAAAARGH!" Why must vampires be so sexy? It is not fair!

Out of the corner of my ye I could everyone standing in line staring at us as though we were crazy. Georgina was fuming and our cashier's jaw was at floor level. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at them. Instead I said to Duncan, "Okay, you've had your show. You can be lazy now and I'll do all the work."

He smiled and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. Nothing overly passionate, just a bump of his lips on mine, and then he pulled away. He gave a secretive wink and turned back to his somber I'm Above You mood.

I scowled and turned back to the cashier with a heavenly smile. "Now how much was that?" My accent had returned.

Yes, Duncan and I tend to cause an uproar where ever we go. We do not do it intentionally…most of the time. We're just used to it by now.

We've been partners for three years now, working for the Night Hunters' Corporation. Duncan first found me when I was sixteen-years-old and he saved me from a hoard of ravenous demons whose attacked killed my whole family. Well…he didn't exactly save me. I still got bitten. He saved me from being eaten alive. It was his healer friend Lydia who saved me from their poison. It is said that any human who survives a demon's bite gains the powers of the night. Maybe we do, maybe we don't. Mine haven't showed up yet – and they would be useful since I hunt powerful Underworld creatures with Duncan.

The Underworld is a kind of…cult, unknown to humans. It consists of all the supernatural creatures such as witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, faeries, demons, and zombies wander the streets after dark. They tend to look like normal human beings, except they all have supernatural powers. The police of the Underworld are called the Night Hunters.

It wasn't until two years ago that the Hunters found Duncan and me and offered a job working for them. We took their offer and now spend our nights prowling the clubs looking for rogue supernatural and exterminating them. I'm in it for the revenge, taking out the creatures that killed my family. Duncan is in it fro the blood. He's a vampire and he has to find some way to get it. It's either this or feed off animals in the forest. Duncan knows which is better.

While we may not always get along that well, when it comes to the best fighting team the Hunters have to supply we're it. A cold hearted vampire and a short human girl. Wow. Aren't we living up to expectations?

All I knew was that as Dusk approaches, the hunt begins.

**A/N: I'm doing some revisions of Death's Messenger, hence the whole new chapter things. It's pretty basic editing, but will probably get larger as the story goes on. Thanks and review!**


	2. I Don't Do The Whole Innocent Thing

**Chapter Two: I Don't Do the Whole Innocent Thing**

When we got back to the apartment from our dismal shopping trip, I was happy to find a black envelope in the mail slot. Most people would think getting black envelopes in the mail is a bad thing. To us it meant it was time to work.

Duncan strutted through the lobby of our apartment block, pressed the button for the elevator and turn to wait for me to catch up. I was stumbling after him under the weight of all the groceries we had bought. (Do you have any idea how heavy those jumbo sized boxes of Honeycomb are?). One of the men who worked here came over to offer his help, but Duncan materialized in front of me.

"She's fine. She doesn't need your help."

The man looked taken aback. He blinked stupidly, and then grew angry with Duncan. "Well it's not like you're helping her! Aren't you her boyfriend? It looks like she's about to collapse under all the weight and you just let her totter along and see if she falls!"

Duncan didn't even grow angry. He just gave the man a sickly smile and said coolly, "Even if I offered to help, she'd refuse. She thinks she can do everything by herself, even carry the world on her shoulders. Well, I'm letting her have a go. Once she falls I'll be there to pick her up again. Which is more than you can say." Then, Duncan turned to me with his black eyes which were now empty of that hatred. "Let's go, Rae. I can't stand such people."

I mouthed a 'sorry' to the man and followed Duncan to the elevator.

"Great," Duncan muttered. "Now we have to wait for the next one. Asshole."

I smiled and stepped in the elevator as the doors dinged open. No one knew me better than Duncan. Now, I'd love to say it was the same between me and him, but that would be a lie. Duncan never once mentioned his past to me, and I never once asked about it. It's a touchy subject, so I let him have his secrets and when he's ready to tell me, he will.

I snuck a glance at Duncan. He was leaning against the hand rail, staring at the doors. This gave me a chance to look at him. I mean, _really_ look at him. Something I didn't get to do often. He's gorgeous, as all vampires are. He has ruffled black hair that's only a few inches long and falls into his cold, black eyes. His skin is pure white and he has slight bruises under his eyes from lack of sleep. He isn't extremely tall, only 5"10, but then again I only come up to his chest. Duncan's semi-slim with smooth muscles that weren't just for show.

Suddenly, his black eyes snapped to mine and he said, "What are you looking at?"

"I'm just thinking how I should give you a hair cut."

"I'm a vampire – my hair doesn't grow. It's staying this length for all eternity."

"Fine. You'll have an ugly haircut for all eternity."

Duncan rolled his eyes.

The doors opened and he left without picking up a single bag. However, he did have the courtesy to stop the elevator door from closing on me. What a gentleman.

I followed him blindly (my vision was obscured by the horrendous amount of groceries I was carrying). Suddenly, a cold hand grabbed my arm and pulled me sideways. I let a half scream, half gasp and almost dropped all the groceries.

"Who is that?" I yelped, eyes wide with panic.

"Shut, idiot. It's just me. You were about to walk into a wall."

"Well I wouldn't walk into walls if you carried some of the groceries."

"Then who's going to open the doors?"

"I would, with my awesome ninja skills."

Just to clarify things I kicked the air. Of course, I lost my balance under the weight of all the groceries and almost fell over. Luckily, Duncan pulled me into the apartment before I could completely lose my balance.

After going inside, I put away all the groceries (a labor that Duncan considered beneath himself) and put the bags under the sink for recycling. Then, went to see what Duncan was doing in the living room. He was sitting on the black leather couch; arms crossed reading a book.

Yes, the all mighty vampire Duncan Nix reads. But only stuff relative to the Underworld. No human crap. At the moment he was rereading the Night Hunter's Manual.

The black envelope lay on the glass coffee table, unopened. That was open good thing about Duncan. He always waited for me before he opened the job information. Unlike me, he didn't need to know the answer to everything right then and there. I wouldn't say he was patient…just not impatient.

"You ready?" he asked, calmly.

"Yes. No thanks to you."

He smirked, but said nothing. His black eyes followed me as I picked up the envelope and opened it sloppily. Eagerly I pulled out the papers inside and read:

_Geoff Frederickson_

There was a photo of a handsome guy with short cropped brown hair and green eyes. Like Duncan, he had shows under his eyelids and was as pale as winter snow.

_Vampire_

_Killed 3 girls_

_Alice Monroe_

Below it was a picture of a pretty little blond with wide blue eyes and an innocent face who looked to be about sixteen.

_Brianna Hayes_

Another blond girl, still innocent and weak looking with a nasty looking bruise on her cheek, she too was sixteenish.

_Louise Morison_

The last one was a light brown haired girl with big puppy dog blue eyes and a scared expression. It was quite clear what all the girls he had killed had in common. Scare, abused, little innocents.

_Club of the Blood Moon_

_10:00-12:00_

I handed the note to Duncan. That was all the information we were given. That was all we needed.

It was 6:00 right now, four more hours until the hunt began. We spent the next two hours going over our ideas until we had formulated a plan. Then we spent ten minutes finding The Blood Moon via Google (it really does have everything). Once we had it was time to change into our disguises.

Firstly, I had dressed in my normal attire, black tank top, mini skirt (you have no idea how hard it is to fight supernaturals in a miniskirt), and boots. But Duncan had taken one look at me and said no.

"Why not?"

"Innocent, Rae, _innocent_," muttered Duncan. He had it easy. He was dressed in a simple, silky, black shirt and jeans. Guys always had it easy. No one cared if they dressed in shit. But girls…we always had to look our best.

"What's not innocent about this?" I demanded to know.

Duncan gave me one long look and said, "Innocent."

I sighed and turned back to my room hoping I had at least one innocent dress. As it turned out I did. But it was_ so_ not me. When I stepped out of the bathroom and examined myself in the full length mirror I scowled. I had on short white dress that showed off my olive-skin. My hair was curled and let loose around my shoulders, and I wore white sandals with child-like fake diamonds stuck to the straps and a silver chain fastened around my neck. Attached to the necklace was my weapon. It didn't; look like much, just a little charm in the shape of a scythe. But let me tell you, that scythe was deadly.

I sighed and walked out the room, making sure that my head bent in shy innocence.

"Um…Mr. Duncan, sir. I'm ready to go…clubbing." My voice had a slight, southern accent. Not as heavy as it had been the supermarket though.

Duncan turned to examine my look.

"Good. You're a scared little girl now. It'd be better if you dyed your hair blond, but that would look too obvious. Hmm….You're less than perfect in his scared blond with blue eyes scale, but if you get his attention first, you could make it."

Then, suddenly, Duncane smirked and made his way over to the door. "After you, Miss…?"

"Grace, Grace Jacinta."

‡

We took separate cabs to the club so that no one could know that we were related to each other. Duncan arrived first, and I a half hour later. It took me a while to persuade the bouncer to let me in.

"Look little girl, this ain't your kind of place," he said.

"B-but, Mr.…" I stammered. "I p-promised some friends I'd m-meet them inside. P-please, sir. You gotta let me in." I stared up at him through my soft brown eyes and tried to summon up tears. My eyes watered and I quickly turned away from him. After trying to inconspicuously wipe them away, I turned back.

His expression was softened and he sighed. "Fine. But mind you don't talk to any strangers."

I thanked him repeatedly and hurried in before he could change his mind. For the first ten minutes I wandered about the club, trying to get the feel of the place. It was designed like a supernatural bar, with werewolf waiters and witches serving the cocktails. The lights were red and bathed the whole room in blood. Smoke field the room and music blasted so loudly that I couldn't even hear myself think. I quickly found Duncan, who was flirting with some waitress dressed in a corny vampire outfit. When he saw me he winked and I resisted the urge to laugh.

"Hey, sweetie…"

I turned to see three drunken men in about their mid to late thirties. One of them was balding and another and a beer belly. None were a threat to me.

I smiled sweetly and said, "Hello, my name is Grace Jacinta. What's yours?"

They exchanged thrilled glances and Baldy stepped forward.

"My names Joe. Are you lost? Do you need some help?"

"Uh…I'm supposed to be meeting some friends here…" I said innocently, all the while glancing around in hope of finding Geoff.

"We're your friends, honey," cooed another.

"Uh. No…" I tried to get away, struggling weakly.

"Come on…"

One of them grabbed my wrist and I tried flimsily to escape.

"Please…" I wrenched my eyes shut, trying to block out the scene playing before me.

"Stop."

I opened my eyes to see at tall, handsome man with green eyes, the color of toxin and short brown hair. Geoff Frederickson. A vampire. The one we were hunting. I tried to suppress the joy inside me and stared at him with relief. The men back away, grumbling under their breath. With a wave a delight, I turned to Geoff and cried:

"Oh thank you! Thank you so much! I'm new to this whole clubbing scene. I'm meant to be meeting I'm sure you're friends haven't ditched you – here, I'll help you find them. It's not good for a little thing like you to be walking around a club alone."

"Thank you, mister!" (I think I deserve an Oscar fro this performance)

I trailed after him like some lost puppy for the next half hour. I half expected him to spin around at say "You're still here, get lost you little twit!" but he was kind to me, introduced me to everyone he knew and smiled kindly at me. I began to wonder if he really was the same guy who we were hunting.

But then, we were sitting at a booth, chatting about movie that we had both seen recently. And then, suddenly he materialized next to me, much in the way that Duncan would. It was so similar that it was frightening and I almost cringed away.

"Don't worry, Grace, I'll keep you safe," he cooed.

He opened his mouth and I could see the fangs extending from his canines.

I froze, eyes wide with shock. He was going to bite me…right here, right now. I couldn't even react. Just sit there and stare at him, eyes wide and empty. I felt his cold teeth touch my neck, about to break the skin…and then it would be all over…

_Smack!_

Geoff went flying backwards, slamming into the back of the booth. His eyes flickered and shot open glaring at the figure behind me, I turned to see Duncan smiling at him. Not in a cold way, like normally did, but in an "I'm Sorry" way.

"My apologies, mate!" he said in a thick Australian accent. "I was just going to get some drinks for me and my gal, when I got hit by some dancers." He glanced at me with a meaningful look. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything,"

I gave him a warning glare and turned back to Geoff. "I hope your okay, honey. It was just an accident, nothing to get rowdy about." I paused. "You know what, sweetie. Let's go outside. I think you need to clear your head and you can…say what you wanted to outside."

I helped him to his feet and led his outside, reluctantly he followed. With a sharp glance at Duncan, I clung on to Geoff's arm and the two of us slipped out through the backdoor. Now, it was time for the hunt to end.

‡

**Duncan**

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Was she _stupid_! How could she let it go so far? Surely she saw Geoff leaning in and would've taken action if I hadn't intervened? Right? In my heart I knew the answer. I had seen her gazing at him…she would have let him bite her. She wouldn't have even complained. Shit. And now she was leading him outside, giving him a chance at round two? Was she soft in the head? I know she expected me to follow, but what if I got lost or stuck and couldn't get there in time. Then he could…

_No!_

My brain seemed to have a mental break down. It snapped on itself.

Without thinking, I forced my way through the crowds, heading towards the door that Rae had lead Geoff out of.

Rae…

I ran faster. If there weren't humans littering the floor of the club, I would have been out that door in three seconds flat. Of course, the crowds got in my way. I struggled, clawed, and did everything I could to reach the door as fast as I possibly could.

Please don't let me be to late…

I grasped the handle if the door and threw it open, charging outside at full speed.

_Crack_.


	3. Somebody Send Me to the Nuthouse

**Chapter Three: Somebody Send Me To The Nut House**

**Rae**

I led Geoff to an alleyway outside the club and leaned nonchalantly against the wall facing him. His eyes were cold and fill of blood lust, glittering red as all vampire eyes do when they wanted to feed.

I wasn't afraid. I had seen this so many times before. Soon, he wouldn't be able to control him self. But I didn't need to worry about that until his eyes were practically glowing.

For a moment, I continued watching him; then is dawned on me that my expression must be contorted with a brutal hunger. I wiped it clean and said in a clear, pure voice, "Did you put in contacts or something because your eyes are red."

He didn't answer, only stared at me with those blood red eyes. The color was intensifying, growing brighter and brighter as time wore on. It was coming soon and I had to be ready when it happened. I braced myself as he swaggered over to me, a slow grin spreading over his face.

"It's okay, sweetie, I'll protect you."

Then, I saw his glowing, dangerous red eyes.

Crap.

I was about to turn and run when he pounced. A gasp of fear escaped me as he smashed me against the wall. I struggled desperately, but he had hold of both my wrists and held them high above my head so that I was stretched up on my tippy-toes. There was no way I could reach my weapon now.

Geoff was poised above me, mouth wide and ready to drink my blood. His eyes glittered and he inhaled deeply, taking in my scent. He enjoyed it. I had seen that expression many times before in the past – on Duncan. The sweet scent of fear and the soon to be death, vampires got a high off of it.

I twitched and struggled more frantically, feeling my life drain from me as he prepared to strike.

There was no way I was going to die like this. Not here, not now, not like this.

With one fine yelp I managed to wrench my hand out of his grasp and grab the silver scythe on the chain around my neck. Immediately it began to grow rapidly, expanding and lengthening in my hand. I swung it around, and Geoff only just managed to jump backwards, narrowly avoiding the blade of my scythe.

He stood, back pressed against the wall opposite me, only just out of range. His eyes has turned back to green and were now wide with shock and fear.

Now I was in control, and eh was the fearful prey. I smiled and stepped forward, raising my scythe high above my head, and then swinging it down towards his head.

_Crack_.

My scythe smashed into the wall, inches above where Geoff's head now sat. He had managed to duck at the last second. Then, with a yelp, he jumped away from the wall, as Duncan flew past me and slammed his fist into the wall where Geoff's head had been moment's before. Clad in black, Duncan crouched on the ground, his eyes glittering red with the fever of the chase.

I wrenched my blade out, leaving a long crack in the stone wall and turned to glare at Geoff.

Now, to see the full scene, I'll describe it for you from an out-of-body perspective: Firstly, Duncan crouched before me, his red eyes glittering, violent and blood thirsty. His muscles are clenched, fangs bared, and finger nails clawed like a beast. He took in a long breath and felt the glorious high of the night. The fear radiating off of Geoff, it fed his senses and filled him with pleasure.

Then, you had me, standing behind him, black hair tumbling down freely, and eyes wild and untamed like a beast. My mouth was curved upwards in a hungry smile. I could envision Geoff's death. His pain and suffering near, the glorious blood bath to come. I took it all in and grinned.

I could lie all I want and say I had joined the Hunters for noble causes, but the truth is it was to feed the demon inside me. It had an unquenchable thirst for death and destruction and by killing rogue supernaturals it was kept satisfied by daily killings.

Geoff glared at the two of us, his green eyes darkening. "Night Hunters," he muttered.

"We," Duncan said with a malicious smile, "are Death's messengers."

I leaned forward, ready to spring. "And Death has judged you."

I took two running steps and leapt into the air. Geoff yelped and twisted to the side, my scythe missing him by inches. He tried to throw a punch my way, but his fist was caught by Duncan, who immediately snapped Geoff's wrist.

Geoff screamed.

Immediately, Duncan's eyes changed to a more brilliant shade of red.

This was why he refused to feed at the blood bank or eat animals from the woods like other vampires. He loved the hunt, the explosion of joy and hunger that it gave him. Nothing could satisfy like the fear of living, breathing, _thinking_ prey. He needed it, lived off of it, like an addict. It was his drug, like death was mine.

Duncan smiled and let go of Geoff's wrist. He could let the hunt go on a little longer.

I sprung up, over Duncan's head and bright the scythe singing on the way down. It landed inches from Geoff's face.

I missed on purpose.

Geoff tried to run, but Duncan slashed his claws across Geoff's chest and the enemy vampire flew against the wall, head cracking against it. He tried to move, but we were ready for the kill now.

I lurched forward, burying the blade of my scythe into the wall, pressing the wooden handle against Geoff's throat. He gagged and tried to get away, but I had him secure. Immediately, Duncan saunter forward, ready to feed. I stepped out of the way and watched with mild interest as Duncan bit into Geoff's neck.

After a minute of this bloodshed, I pulled out my cell phone and called up the Night Hunter's Association. They picked up after the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's Rachelle Evans here. Duncan and I hit the mark. Duncan's feeding now. We'll need a werewolf crew to come by in a few minutes and dispose of the corpse."

Silence.

"We can get one there in five."

"Whose?"

"David's."

I liked David Kinston. He was the Beta Pack's leader and a good one.

In the Hunters' Association, there were five werewolf packs in all, each one containing approximately five werewolves. Their main job was to hunt down larger groups or rogues, or dispose of corpses already taken at by vampires.

"Okay, good." I hung up. "Duncan, you've got five minutes to finish that."

He lifted his head from Geoff's neck and turned to look at me. Blood stained to outside of his mouth, turning his lips a brilliant red. His eyes had gone back to the flat, cold, black color they had been. He nodded. "I can do it in two."

I laughed and waited for him to finish.

Exactly five minutes later, the werewolf pack turned up.

David was a sturdy built man with curly brown hair and the small stubble of a beard. He walked over in human form and said, "Glad to see you're on the job tonight, Rae. I can't stand some of the pairs we have to deal with."

"Hey, David! The vamp's already dead, sorry. You know how Duncan lieks to feed." I shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah – though it'd be nice if we got some live ones every once in awhile. Have a good night, Rae. Duncan."

Duncan and I headed out into the street, smiling and laughing (or at least I was) as though nothing had happened and we were just like every other couple coming out of the club. We were used to it. It was our life. By day we were normal 'humans' and when the sun went down we became the terror of the Underworld's criminals. The Night Hunter's Association's most feared pair, Death's Messengers, Duncan Nix and Rachelle Evans.

‡

We walked into the apartment in silence. I was smiling, bright and happy, still floating on the high of tonight's hunt. Duncan, however, was cold and distant. Then again, he is always cold and distant, so this isn't anything out of the ordinary. But I couldn't shake the feeling that Duncan was mad about something else.

I turned in the entryway of the apartment building and frowned at him.

"Why the long face? Did Geoff not have enough blood in him? I suppose he didn't feed yet today."

"He had plenty of blood."

"Oh. Then what's up?" I asked. "Or are you just being regular grumpy Duncan? Are we going over to Dianne and Carry's? You know they'll be expecting us to play poker. We always do that after the hunt on Thursdays."

"We're not going."

My smile faded.

Was he really mad? Duncan hardly even got mad at me. Maybe in a joking humorous way, but never truly mad.

"What's wrong?"

His eyes narrowed. "What's wrong?" he repeated in a mocking tone. "What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong, Rae! How could you be so…so stupid! He was going the bite you and you just stood there like an idiot and let him!"

I blinked. "Yeah but…I wasn't bitten…"

"But what if you were you dimwit! You know you'll die if you're bitten by a vampire or werewolf! While you may have survived the demon bite, it rejects all other poisons! You have to be careful! But _no_! You'll just let any vampire that wants a shot at your throat have it! You stupid little twit! What were you thinking!" Duncan glowered at me, his eyes blazing with rage and frustration.

"It was part of the…job…I didn't want to…ruin…it…" I stared at my feet, unable to come up with a reasonable argument.

Duncan's eyes narrowed and then he spun around and headed towards the elevator. I blinked, shocked by his sudden lack of argument. Realizing where he was going, I raced after him, grabbing his shoulder just before he could step into the elevator. "Wait! Duncan!" I cried out.

Automatically, he whipped around and snarled at me. His once cool, aloof expression was now completely shattered and in its place was an animalistic glare. Once black eyes had become blood red and his usually sensual mouth was pulled back, baring his long, white fangs. But it wasn't his vampire face that frightened me. No, it was the expression in his eyes. The "You Are The Prey And I Am The Predator" stare. He didn't see me as anything more than food. I'd seen Duncan look at other people like that, but never me. Even in the middle of feeding, he would always turn to me with a regular expression, as I he was only eating a bagel.

I recoiled from him eyes wide with shock and…fear.

With out thinking, I whipped around and sprinted into the apartment, my heart going a million miles an hour. I slammed the door behind me and leaned against it, holding it shut. Slowly, I slid down against it, until I was sitting on the floor, knees pulled up to my chest.

How could he…how could he look at me like _that_? I wasn't the prey. I was his friend, his companion. A hunter just like he was…wasn't I? But, he was a vampire and I was a human. No amount of demon bites could change that. Vampires hunt humans. It's the natural cycle of life. So why, why are a vampire and a human working together? It was like a rat and a falcon hunting together. It was not natural.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the door. I had always thought that we had avoided such predator-prey problems and were able to be friends, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe when Duncan was hungry enough, I was just another human.

My fist tightened and I kneaded it against my head. All this wondering hurt my brain. I needed a shower. I needed to get the smell of death off of me.

‡

**Duncan**

Congratulations to me, I have successfully managed to make Rae hate me for the rest of eternity. _Great…_The one human being in the whole world I actually like and I make her hate me. Really? How many more in genius ideas do I have?

I gritted my teeth and leaned outside the apartment door. I could hear Rae on the other side. Her heart was pounding and she sighed heavily. I didn't want to disturb her yet. So I stayed outside the room, waiting until she was ready.

A couple passed by me, heading back to their room. The woman who was in her mid-thirties was appraising me, but I ignored her. Such petty humans did not earn my attentions.

Her partner scowled at me and looked as though he was debating starting a fight. I smirked. Pathetic human. He had no idea that he would be up against a five hundred year old vampire. I resisted the urge to snarl at them, remembering what Rae always told me. As a vampire living in the human world, I had to learn to act like a human being. Which meant no predator activities. She put snarling in that category.

The couple left.

After a while, Rae stood and walked away from the door. I paused, unsure of whether she was ready for me to go in or not. Then, I heard the sound of the shower and sighed with relief. She would be slightly calmer when the time came for me to face her.

I walked inside and sat down on the black leather sofa, waiting for Rae to finish her shower.

‡

**Rae**

The hot water burned my skin as it came pounding down in little bullets. I sighed and reveled in the pain. It felt good after the night I had. The pain washed away my sins and woke me anew. I smiled to myself.

That was good. I just wanted to be Rachelle Evans, the normal human being. Not the human who survived a demon bite and now hunts rogue supernaturals with her vampire partner. Just Rae…

_A normal night…A happy family walking threw the streets, laughing cheerfully after just seeing a Broadway musical. _

_The mother and father were holding hands and exchanging secretive smiles. They were both beautiful people the wife was Latino, with wavy black-brown hair that fell to her shoulders and big, chocolaty brown eyes, she was shorter than the average female and had a smiled that lit up the world around her. Her husband was more European, with olive skin and brown hair. _

_The two of them seemed intimate, and they were oblivious to the world surrounding them. The only thing that could break them from their secret world was their two daughters. One was about fourteen, with brown hair, cut into a bob and big eyes that so resembled her mother's, and the other around twelve. She was much smaller than her sister and much bolder too. Her eyes were more cunning and clever than big and vulnerable, and her hair fell past her shoulders in a tangled mess. The girls walked together behind their parents, chatting happily about the actors in the Broadway they had just seen. _

_Then, out of no where a shadow prowled closer._

I clenched the door handle of the shower, trying to calm my breathing. The family, the one in my vision, had no idea that the shadow was stalking them – no idea that they were about to die. All I could do was watch on in horror as the slaughter began.

_The first shadow lunged out at the mother, its long sharp claw digging into her neck. She screamed as the talons slashed her neck open and her rich blood dribbled out. _

_The monsters were hideous. Skinny, bony things with black skin that stretched tightly across their bodies like coarse animal hide. They had gray claws that extended from skeletal hands with deadly precision and sharp fang that glittered silver in the moonlight. They had no clear shape, just blurry shadows that might have, a long time ago, resembled men. _

_The father tried to save his wife, not knowing she was already dead. The shadows swarmed him, taking bites out of his flesh. His two precious daughters could only look on in horror as their parents were devoured before their eyes._

I screamed and banged my head against the tiled shower wall, hoping to make the images go away. But they kept on coming. Flashes of the horrific scene playing out in my mind. I wanted it to stop. To end. But it kept on going. Kept on showing me what was to come.

_The monsters had turned on the older sister now. She told her younger one to run. _

_"Rae! Rae! Go! RUN AWAY!" _

_She let out a shrill, ear-piercing scream as the black shadows sunk their teeth into her flesh. _

_Her younger sister started to flee, but stopped and stared in agony as her last family member passed away. In one instant her whole family was dead. In a mere minute, she had gone from having everything to having nothing. She wanted to die… _

_The first demon bit her and she collapsed to the ground. The pain was horrid. Like having hot iron needle embedded violently into one's skin. She screamed and screamed…then everything went black._

There was more to come. The worst part.

The glass door keeping the shower closed shattered as I slammed my head against it. I toppled forward atop the broken glass. Shards sliced open my skin and red blood seeped out on to the floor. But the images kept on coming.

_Strong arms lifting the little girl _

_Pain…pain…so much pain…_

_Soft voices, comforting voices…\_

_But the pain…screams…nightmares…burning, fiery pain…_

_And one voice, softer than all the rest, trying to bring her back…_

I felt the agony anew and let out one final, dreadful scream. All the anguish of this memory washed over me.

The demon bite that took away my whole life and left me with nothing but raw hatred and a curse that would ravage my body until it killed me. The demon that now dwelled inside of me waited, waited until it had the opportunity to consume me whole and turn me into what had once killed my whole family. A demon.


	4. There's Something You Don't See Everyday

**Chapter Four: Now There's Something You Don't See Everyday**

**Duncan**

I was still lying on the couch when I heard her scream.

I didn't need to think about who it was. In that one moment where her shrill cry pierced the air and I knew. Rae.

Without thinking, I threw myself off the sofa and sprinted to the bathroom where the sound of the shower was still going. I hesitated. Rae could just be singing in the shower and I had mistaken it for screaming (it had happened before). But then I heard the sobs emitting from behind the door and all hesitation vanished.

"RAE!" I shouted.

But there was no response.

"RAE! OPEN THIS DOOR OR I WILL BREAK IT DOWN!" I tried to keep the panic from my voice.

_Thud._

Without waiting, I grabbed the knob and wrenched the door off of its hinges. I threw it past me onto Rae's bed and was almost immediately choked on the sweet scent of blood.

It was…addictive. I couldn't get enough of it. It was impossible to say no. Not when I was thirsty. It just…smelt so good. The need to feed overtook me for a moment and I felt the sharp fangs extend where my canines should be.

_No!_ My mind snapped and I remembered. _Rae…_

I shook my head, clearing it of all hungry thoughts. Then, I saw the scene before me:

Rae lay on the tiled bathroom floor, naked and unconscious. Glass lay shattered below her puddle in a mix of blood and water. Her wavy brown hair tumbled beneath her body, stained with red water from the shower. While her torso was sprawled across the bathroom floor, her feet remained in the shower, when the nozzle was still spewing water.

Hurriedly, I pinched my nose with my left hand, trying to block out the tempting smell and knelt by Rae. Gently, I took his wrist in my hand and listened to her pulse. Still alive. She must have knocked herself out.

I shuddered.

It had happened again. The nightmares left from that memory had returned and the demon inside her had stirred.

I closed my eyes and held my breath. Then, I pulled a towel off the rack and lifted Rae off the glass covered floor. Carefully, I carried her out to the kitchen and placed her on the now spread out towel. Then, I raced back to the bathroom trying to find the first aid kit.

Again, it hit me this time with renewed force. – the sweet, delicious smell of Rae's blood. It was so…tempting. Filled with longing, I licked my lips and knelt on the floor, about to lick up the spilt blood.

_NO! _Again the stern inside voice hit me, slapping me out of my zombie-like state. _Think of Rae! FIRST AID!_

I just wanted to get out of that bathroom. I grabbed the medical bag and sprinted back to the kitchen where Rae lay on the floor, still unconscious. She was bleeding all over the towel. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to drive my senses wild. As I lifted her up into a sitting position, I saw that the scratches weren't as bad as I had first thought. The water had made it seem worse than reality, I realized as I washed the blood off her back and wrapped up her wounds.

Slowly, my head grew dizzy and what little self control I had began to waver.

Her neck…it looked so pale and fine. A vein filled with blood, just ready to bleed. All I had to do was bite into the soft flesh and…I found myself stroking her pale neck with my teeth. Immediately I threw myself away from her, watching her slowly slump back to the ground.

This was not good. There was no way I could control myself in a situation like this. Her blood…it was just too desirable.

I sprung up and grabbed on of the kitchen knives off the counter and a dishtowel from the draw. Gently, I ran the sharp side of the blade across the palm of my hand and let the warm blood seep out. I pressed the dish towel too it and clutched the now soaked dishtowel to my nose. The faint smell of my own blood filled me. Vampires do not thirst for their own blood otherwise I would have drained myself by now.

Still holding the dishtowel to my nose, I slid across the floor to Rae and pulled her small, frail body against me. I saw her eyes flicker and my heart beat sped up.

"Rae…" I whispered.

"Mmm…Dun…can…" she murmured, eyes still half shut.

I closed my eyes. "Rae, I'm going to leave you for a bit, I have…to get out…"

"No!" She half screamed, half sobbed. Her hand grabbed my wrist in a tight grip unrealistically strong for someone who had bee unconscious a moment ago.

"Rae…I have to…the blood…"

"No!" she cried. "The demons…will come back! Don't leave me! Please! I can't be alone…the darkness will consume me again."

I took a deep breath of my blood on the rag. "Okay, okay. I won't go. Uh…" I couldn't think of what to say, or how to distract her from the demons. "Rae…"

"Yeah…?" She murmured, her fear vanishing with my promise to stay by her side.

"I've never told you about how I became a vampire…"

It was the only thing I could think of to distract her. However, it's not a happy tale and was more likely to give her nightmares than calm her. But it was the only thing that came to mind. I saw Rae's eyes open and she stared at me. After a moment of gathering my thoughts I began:

"I was born in the year 1511…to King Henry VIII and Katharine of Aragon. But, I was not…a normal child. In England there was a coven of vampires who were interested in experimental human-vampire relations. To test this theory they secretly fed blood to Queen Katharine every night during the pregnancy. Only, it wasn't normal blood. It was the blood of vampires."

"You see, the vampires had bewitched one of the Queen's maids and she dutifully fed the Queen the blood every night mixed inside her usual medicine. The pregnancy became a difficult one, just like all the others. So when the baby was born, no one was surprised that it had been reported dead. But, unbeknownst to all, the child was still alive. Well, not alive by any normal standards. The child was a vampire. A born vampire. One that would grow and age unlike any other. The child was kidnapped by the maid and handed over to the vampire coven."

"The coven spent the next few years teaching the child the ways of vampires. It drank blood like any other and was inhumanly strong, but unlike others the child grew older. But, as it reached the age of ten, the aging process slowed down and eventually stopped altogether."

"But during those years the child watched his true family from the sidelines. He watched his father banish his mother from his side and take on a new wife. He watched as wife after wife of King Henry was executed. It was from watching the repulsive family that led England that the child learned to hate all humans. He saw them as weak, rotting things that destroyed everything they loved and cherished. To him, it was repulsive. Soon the boy began to feed on humans without remorse. He fed when he was hungry; he fed when he was angry, bored, or sometimes just for fun. It didn't matter to him. Humans were just weak things, meant to be dominated by vampires. Even after King Henry had died and his children fought for the throne, the boy became one of the most feared vampires around. Hunters came and tried to destroy him, but the bitter child, now a young man, was too great for such pitiful humans. He avoided them easily and killed them just as calmly."

"But soon, the young man became hated by his own clan. They feared him and his demonic nature, so they plotted against him. But the man knew of their plans and killed all of them. Eaten up by bitterness and hatred, the vampire spent the next four hundred years travelling over Europe. He fed in all the capital cities and enjoyed many a beautiful woman, only to feed off of them afterwards. The vampire, born to humans, was a monster."

"Eventually he grew bored with his life and travelled to America. It was a new and more interesting nation, one that was just developing. There he found a new life. The vampire began to work as a normal human being and helped the colonies fight off Britain. He felt an odd sense of happiness in just being able to live. He never had any close friends all through his years of life. But he was happy. Happy not being a monster. The years passed by and he watched the world change through distant eyes. Then, when the vampire was 450 years old, he was found by an organization called the Night Hunters. They offered him a job and live blood supply if he would kill rogue supernaturals. After consideration the vampire agreed, figuring it would help him pass the time."

"But despite living among humans all those years, the vampire still felt nothing towards them. He hated to be near them, hated to touch them, he felt nothing but disdain for such creatures. Then, one night he wandered across a hoard of demons feasting on a human family. It was not his job, and the vampire probably would have left them to die. But as this family were slowly murdered by the demons, the vampire felt a twinge of sympathy. One girl started running away. She was young, only about fifteen or so, but beautiful. Beautiful in a way the vampire never thought humans could be. He decided to help her. Just like that, the heartless vampire chose to save the life of one human. And when he saw that she was injured, the vampire took her to a witch acquaintance of his and had her healed. Somehow, this girl that he had seen for only a second, had become the most important person in the world to him."

I laughed aloud. It was not a happy laugh, but a disdainful and hating one.

"What a pathetic creature I was, Rae – a monster, a demon…something that fed simply out of boredom. Humans meant nothing to me. I hated them. But when I saw you afraid and in pain, I had to save you. Isn't fate spiteful?"

Carefully, I pulled her into a hug, her warm skin pressed against my cold body. I rested my chin one her forehead, bloody rag still pressed to my nose and mouth.

"While you were struggling against the demon poison I was so afraid. So terrified that you were going too died. I didn't know what I would do. It never occurred to me that I would simply go on living like I did before. I just couldn't. From the moment I first saw you, you changed me."

I felt something soft and warm touch the side of my face. I looked down to see Rae's small hand pressed lightly against my cheek. Her eyes were half closed as if she were waking from a dream, yet her face was so peaceful. Gentle tears ran down the side of her cheeks as she stared up at me through sorrowful eyes.

"Did I scare away the nightmares?" I asked.

"You did," she murmured. "Nothing will hurt me when you're beside me."

I carefully pulled her closer to me. "I probably scared all the nightmares away. I'm just that terrifying."

She laughed softly. "Don't ever leave me, Duncan. We're partners, right. You and me, fighting the world. That's the way we're meant to be."

Chest aching, I closed my eyes.

Yes, you and me against the world, but you will grow old, Rae. You'll die one day. And I shall watch you through ageless eyes. Untainted by the decay of time. I don't think I can live through that. I don't think I can watch you die as an old lady. We can't be together forever. But you don't seem to be able to understand that.

I stared at her ashen face. She was so beautiful. Too beautiful to be human. Dark hair, long, thick lashes that brushed lightly against her cheeks. I smiled miserably.

An eternity's pain for a lifetime's pleasure.

It was an odd sight, and if anyone had decided to enter our room right then, they probably would have fainted from shock. A vampire with a blood stained dishrag pressed against his face, holding a naked girl with bandaged cuts all across her back, lying on the kitchen floor in an endless embrace.


End file.
